27 February

I woke with the alarm at 5:30 and promptly went back to sleep, finally rising just before 6 and being down for breakfast about 6:20. There were a few others there, but again it was a quiet time.
I checked out and was on the road before 7 and out of Clermont in a few minutes. The itinerary was light – get onto I-75 north and keep going until Chattanooga, then get onto I-24 west and then look for somewhere to stay for the night.
Across the border into Georgia and I visited the Welcome Centre and got some materials. It was reasonable there and, of course, inside the car I could have it as I wanted.
Going through Atlanta, I was THE ONLY VEHICLE travelling at the speed limit. Because the Interstate weaves around a bit, I had to keep changing lanes to make sure I didn’t get caught in the wrong lane – so there was a line of cars behind me. I wonder if I made the news? Then at the Tennessee border, when I got out, it was a different story – freezing, as shown on the outside thermometer. On the road after this it was snowing, but only light flakes which melted on the road and the car.
I was only in Tennessee for a relatively short time, then back into Georgia, back into Tennessee and into Kentucky. Here, at well after 6 (I had gained an hour because of time zones), the staff had gone from the Welcome centre, but the materials remained and the door was open. I found one of the “coupon books” for travellers and saw a reasonably priced motel, on my way at about the right time, at only $29.99 for the night (including Internet and breakfast). It started snowing again, a little heavier than before and more interesting, as the flakes were driving into the headlights. I arrived at 7:50 at the “Inn by the Lake”, just outside Calvert City KY and was able to get a room at that price, so I booked in. The motel manageress’ son now lives in Australia, with an Australian bride, but she couldn’t recall the place. However I did learn that the dam is one of a series on the Tennessee river and is used by the Tennessee Valley Authority to generate hydroelectricity. By manipulating releases and flows, they control the generated power and also maintain the level in the lakes for recreational purposes. I parked the car, found the room, unpacked only what I needed, went up and did my administrative work for the evening, then went off to sleep.
I need to congratulate Tennessee – they have the only correct signs for lane placement I have seen (“trucks use the right 2 lanes” rather than the incorrect “trucks use the 2 right lanes” as there is only one right lane). However I am more than ever convinced that speedometers must be an option few US owners of cars have installed and that no matter what the policing agency, they do not even look unless a vehicle is way over the limit. I can see a fortune being made by the first person who installs remote automatic speed cameras throughout the US.
After the day’s driving, having polaroid glasses made the day less tiring, but the car is definitely not up the standards of any of the cars at home. It is as much work driving eight hundred kilometres in the Pontiac as about sixteen hundred in DOUG. I can now theorise why the fuel tank is so small – so you have to get out every few hours and therefore don’t realise how uncomfortable the seats are (rather like ARTIE). Not having amber turn lights on the cars makes it hard to tell if a car is “blipping” its brake lights or turning a corner (not lane changing, because no-one uses an indicator then anyway).